Ecologically controlled ship&#39;s hull reconditioner

ABSTRACT

A floating platform is ballasted and trimmed to allow the passage of a ship through a U-shaped channel. A plurality of cylindrically shaped brushes is brought to bear against the ship&#39;&#39;s hull and interconnected motors rotate the brushes to clean fouling from the ship&#39;&#39;s hull as it traverses the length of the channel. Locating the platform outside of a harbor permits the cleaning of outgoing ships prior to transoceanic voyages to reduce fuel consumption while incoming ships are cleaned before entry to eliminate the possibility of harbor pollution. Incorporating a suction-pump filter unit in the close vicinity of each rotating brush ensures the collection of removed marine organisms to avoid contamination of surrounding waters. Additionally, a paint roller assembly is included to coat the scrubbed and cleaned surfaces with a new layer of anti-fouling paint to complete preventative maintenance of the hull and to recondition it.

United States Patent [191 Aug. 14, 1973 Seiple ECOLOGICALLY CONTROLLEDSHIP'S HULL RECONDITIONER [76] Inventor: Ronald L. Selple, 1060 KoohooPl.,

Lanikai, Hawaii 96734 [22] Filed: Oct. 22, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 191,669

[52] US. Cl. 114/222 [51] Int. Cl B63b 59/00, B63b 35/44 [58] Field ofSearch 114/222, 219; 15/2465, 1.7, DIG. 2

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,561,391 2/1971 Locati114/222 3,568,231 3/1971 Carroll.... l5/DlG. 2 3,594,843 7/1971 Sesial5/DIG. 2 3,324,492 6/1967 Myers 15/l.7

702,965 6/1902 Kaucher 114/222 3,627,562 12/1971 Hammelmann.... 114/2222,098,262 11/1937 Temple 114/222 3,227,124 l/l966 Cambell 114/2223,338,206 8/1967 Motter 114/219 Primary Examiner-Milton BuchlerAssistant Examiner-Gregory W. O'Connor Attorney-Richard S. Sciascia eta1.

[5 7] ABSTRACT A floating platform is ballasted and trimmed to allow thepassage of a ship through a U-shaped channel. A plurality ofcylindrically shaped brushes is brought to bear against the ships hulland interconnected motors rotate the brushes to clean fouling from theship's hull as it traverses the length of the channel. Locating theplatform outside of a harbor permits the cleaning of outgoing shipsprior to transoceanic voyages to reduce fuel consumption while incomingships are cleaned before entry to eliminate the possibility of harborpollution. Incorporating a suction-pump filter unit in the closevicinity of each rotating brush ensures the collection of removed marineorganisms to avoid contamination of surrounding waters. Additionally, apaint roller assembly is included to coat the scrubbed and cleanedsurfaces with a new layer of anti-fouling paint to complete preventativemaintenance of the hull and to recondition it.

4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PAIENI'EB ms 1 4 ms INVENTOR. RONALD L.SEIPLE THOMAS GLENN KEOUGHE ERVIN F. JOHNSTON ATTORNEYS cat/52,109

PATENIED AUG 1 M973 SHEET 2 OF 2 INVENTOR. RONALD L. SEIPLE THOMAS GLENNKEOUGH ERVIN F. JOHNSTON ATTORNEYS FIG.4

ECOLOGICALLY CONTROLLED SHIP'S HULL RECONDITIONER STATEMENT OFGOVERNMENT INTEREST The invention described herein may be manufacturedand used by or for the Government of the United States of America forgovernmental purposes without the payment of royalties thereon ortherefor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Generally, ships needing their hulls cleanedof excessive amounts of marine organisms are dry docked and sand blastedonly when the cost of dry docking the vessel is partially justified whenthe ship must undergo a major overhaul or extensive structuralmodifications. As a result, the hulls are fouled continually slowing theships speed and requiring a consequent greater fuel consumption. Oneattempt at remedying this undesirable situation calls for divers goingover the side and scraping away the organisms with hand tools or small,hydraulic rotary brushes. This approach is only nominally effective fora large area work and is usually resorted to only when spot maintenanceis called for. Aside from the fact that this method of hull cleaning istime consuming and of questionable effectiveness, safety considerationsmandate that diver cleaning be performed only while the ship is in port.Obviously, the removed organisms additionally pollute the harbor and,for this reason, this approach is ruled out. Another contemporary hullcleaning method relies on mounting rotary brushes on tug-like boats andpulling the brushes along and under a ships hull as the tug moves alongits length. Again, the hull cleaning attempt is only marginallyeffective and large areas, particularly on the bottom of the hull,usually are missed. Another attempt relies on holding a pair of motordriven rotary brushes against the hull by at least one line reachingfrom either side and beneath the keel. By merely pulling the brushesfrom one water line to the other, via the keel, a strip of marinefouling is removed. After cleaning one strip, the supporting lines arelongitudinally moved a short distance to place the brushes in line withanother fouled strip and the process is repeated. Unfortunately, anumber of personnel are required to reposition this device and acomplete hull cleaning operation is quite lengthy. Additionally, whenthis technique is employed in a harbor, removed organisms addpollutants. No quick reliable method exists for removing marineorganisms from a ships hull which does not aggrevate pollution problems.Since 100 percent fouling from these organisms occurs in as little as 60days, most ships are permanently fouled and cannot perform as designed.The greater fuel consumption used to achieve and maintain an acceptablecruising speed consequently creates more exhaust gas pollutants in ouratmosphere. A need currently exists for a hull reconditioner notrequiring expensive dry docking for allowing a periodic cleaning ofhulls to reduce pollution in our environment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention is directed to providing anapparatus for permitting preventative maintenance and for reconditioningthe -hull of the ship including a semisubmerged platform having achannel sized to accommodate the lateral area of a ship. On internalopposing sides of the channel, a plurality of hydraulic rams isdisplaced to bring the bristles of a plurality of cylindrically shapedbrush elements in contact with the ships hull. Motor elements impartrotational motion and the bris tles scrape marine organisms from thehull as the ship passes by. An appropriate suction unit is carried inthe near vicinity of the brushes and a fluidily connected filter unitscreens the removed organisms from the drawn-off mixture to avoidpollution of the surrounding water.

It is a prime object of the invention to provide a hull reconditionerfor removing drag-inducing marine foul- Another object of the inventionis to provide a hull reconditioner introducing no pollutants in a marineenvironment.

Still another object is to provide a hull reconditioner having thecapability to accommodate variously configured hulls over a wide rangeof sizes.

Still another object is to provide a portable hull cleaning device forremoving marine organisms in the open ocean to avoid accidentalpollution of a harbor.

A further object is to provide a hull reconditioner ensuring reducedfuel consumption and a lessening of air pollution.

These and other objects of the invention will become more readilyapparent from the ensuing specifications when taken with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is an isometric depiction ofthe invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the invention.

FIG. 3 isa schematical cross-sectional representation of the cylindricalbrushes conforming to the hulls configuration.

FIG. 4 is a perspective showing of a modification of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings,the supporting vehicle forming an integral portion of the hullreconditioner is most suitably a concrete platform 10 provided with alongitudinally extending U-shaped channel 11. The depth and width of theU-shaped channel is adequate to accommodate the deep draft and wide beamof large oceangoing vessels and a sufficient number of ballastingchambers with an appropriate pumping and conduit network is provided toraise or lower the platform to receive the vessels. The overallconfiguration and manner of construction of the platform generallyfollows the construction scheme of a conventional dry dock. Optionally,a suitable power train is added to allow selfpropulsion from onelocation to another although suitable towing cleats and fenders areprovided to lower the initial cost of the invention.

If the platfonn is fabricated from welded steel plates or otherstructurally equivalent materials, care must be taken that adequatesafeguards be included to prevent or minimize corrosion. It logicallyfollows that all the elements of the invention described below benoncorrosive or corrosion resistant to assure long life and reliability.

A pair of fenders l2 and 13 are mounted along the leading edge ofplatform's entrance for mutual protection of the vessel and the platformas the vessel enters the hull reconditioner. A keel cushion 14 coversthe bottom of the channel entrance to guard against damcleats l6 andblock and tackle arrangements permit a more precise guiding of thevessel should there be particularly fouled areas on the ships hullneeding prolonged brushing or rebrushing.

Cleaning of the hull is performed by three sets of rotary brushcombinations, bow-stern brush combinations 17 and 18, a keel brushcombination l9, and sidehull combinations of brushes and 21. Each of thebrush combination sets includes a plurality of cylindrically shaped,high-speed rotating brushes 17a, 18a, 19a, 20a or 21a respectively. Thebrushes have hard or soft nylon bristles to ensure long life and aremodifiable to include wire bristles to remove heavy fouling or paint.

lndividual brushes 17a and 18a in the bow-stern combinations arejournaled at opposite ends in a rigid member which in turn extends froma panel 17b or 18b. These brushes are oriented in an attitudepreselected to conform to the lateral contour of the bow and stemsections of ships. The brushes carried on the panels are brought incontact with these contours by one of a pair of swing arms 17c or 180.The swing arms pivotally support the panels to allow bidirectionalrotation as the brushes contact the leading edges of the bow andtrailing edge of the stern as the ship bypasses the bow-sterncombination.

Rotary scrubbing action of the brushes bristles is imparted byappropriately connected watertight electric motors 17d or 18d. Thesemotors preferably being high-speed, high-torque prime movers capable ofbeing responsively controlled to scrub hulls having varying amounts offouling.

As the ship enters the concrete platform, a shaft l7c or 18c is rotatedand an gularly displaces the swing arms to put the brushes 17a and 18ain gontact with the bow portion of the ships hull. Electrically ormechanically coupled feelers 17a or 18a" are carried in each brushsclose proximity and to monitor the pressure exerted by the brushes asthey contact the hull. The exact electromechanical linkage of thesefeelers is well known and further elaboration on the exact configurationand interconnection is unnecessary at this point.

Following the bow-stern combination, a keel combination 19 is carried bya plurality of hydraulic rams 19b and extends along a sufficient lateralreach to cover the breadth of the hull. The rams are arranged in pairsjournaled at opposite ends of individual ones of cylindrically shapedbrushes 19a and vertically displace the brushes a distance governed by asuitably interconnected sensor 19a. Although not specifically depictedin the embodiment of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, suction devices are included todraw-in the removed fouling in much the same manner as described withrespect to the embodiment of FIG. 4. As each brush is being brought inforceful contact with the bottom of the ship's hull, a coaxially mountedmotor 19a" rotates it and cleaning begins. The design of the hydraulicrams, sensors, and motors is consistent with contemporary, commerciallyavailable models and structural novelty is not alleged at this point.Although the rams are shown to extend from a protective compartment 10ahousing a single hydraulic actuator 19 b, the entire combinationalternately is completely exposed to facilitate maintenance.

The last two sets of brush combinations, the side-hull combinations 20and 21, are mounted in the concrete platform in an opposed relationship.Each of these combinations is maintained as an integral unit in alaterally traversing enclosure 20b or 21b. A plurality of wheels ridingin a lateral track provides vertical support for the enclosures andresponsive reciprocal travel in the track is ensured by a pair ofhydraulically actuated push rods 20b and 21b.

The push rods laterally position the enclosures in the close proximityof the ships hull an additional plurality of hydraulic rams 20c and 210actuated by hydraulic actuators 20c and 21c laterally displaces theindividually connected brushes 20a and 21a to forcefully abut the sideof the ship when interconnected sensors 200" and 21a" so indicate.Similarly to the aforedescribed coaction, motors 20a and 21a rotate thebrushes and clean the fouling from the hull as the ship bypasses thebrush combinations. Attention should be drawn to the fact that thebottom ones of these hydraulic rams have a longer reach than do some ofthe upper ones to bring the rotating bristles in contact with roundedportions of the bulls as they merge with the flatter keel area.

An improved modification of the invention appears in FIG. 4 andadditionally calls for inclusion of a suction mechanism 24 for drawingoff removed fouling. The mechanism consists of properly orientedfairings and ducts carried adjacent the rotating brushes to draw off theremoved fouling and to channel it, via appropriate ducts, to a suitablefilter trap for screening out the fouling. A pair of control stations 25optionally is provided in this embodiment to provide vantage points fromwhich operating personnel have opportunity for a visual inspection ofthe hull cleaning process-and to adjust the rotating brushesaccordingly. Following the rotating brushes, paint applicators,schematically shown by rollers 26, complete a hull reconditioning cycleby applying a coating of anti-fouling paint after the hull has beencleaned.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present inventionare possible in the light of the above teachings, and, it is thereforeunderstood that within the scope of the disclosed inventive concept, theinvention may be practiced otherwise than specifically described.

What is claimed is:

I. An apparatus for reconditioning the hull of a ship comprising:

an integral semi-submerged platform provided with an elongate U-shapedchannel sized to accommodate the longitudinal and lateral dimensionx ofsaid ship, said platform is adapted to be raised and lowered to receiveships having different drafts;

a plurality of cylindrically shaped brush elements having radiallyoutwardly reaching bristles arranged in a first set of opposed brushesoriented for cleaning the bow and stem of said ship, a second set ofbrushes oriented for cleaning the keel of said ship and a third set ofbrushes oriented for cleaning the sides of the hull of said ship;

a motor element joined to a source of power and mounted on each brushelement for imparting rotational motion thereto;

6 means pivotally interconnecting said first set of opremove foulingfrom the entire wcttcd surface of posed brushes to said platform forensuring the said hull. placement on and the cleaning of the bow andstem 2. An apparatus according to claim 1 further includof said ship bythe opposed brush elements of said i first Set Of 5 a suction elementcarried in the near proximity of at one hydraullc mount! on the upwardlysaid brush element for drawing off removed said facing base of theelongate U-shaped channel confouling; and nefited to Vemcauy dlsplaceeach brush element 9 means for filtering out said removed said foulingcousaid second set of brushes to the keel of said ship pled to each saidsuction element for preventing and at least two other hydraulic ramsmounted on 10 pollution of said body of waer. mtemany opposmg Surfaces msaid elongate U- 3. An apparatus according to claim 1 furtherincludshaped channel, each of the two rams are sized to ing inwardlylaterally displace and position its Interside-hull fenders and a keelcushion disposed at the connected said brush element adjacent a lateralcontour of said hull and all the hydraulic rams configured formechanical cooperation to place their respectively interconnected saidbrush element for cleaning a discrete peripheral portion of said hull;

a sensor element operatively associated with each of the sets of brushesto ensure an operative engagement with respect to said hull as said shippasses mouth of said channel for protecting said apparatus and said shipand wheel-and-track means carried on the upwardly facing base of theelongate U-shaped channel for positioning said second set of brushes inthe close proximity of the hull of said ship.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3 in which at least through i h andone of the hydraulic rams is longer than the other hya hydraulic owesource connected t9 each aid hydraulic rams connected to brush elementsin the second draulic ram for positi nin ll id br h elements set ofbrushes to allow placing of its interconnected to ensure a continuouscontact of said bristle brush on the rounded contour of the hull lyingbetween along the lateral contour of said hull, upon passing the sidesand keel of said ship. said ship through said channel, the rotatingbristles t

1. An apparatus for reconditioning the hull of a ship comprising: anintegral semi-submerged platform provided with an elongate Ushapedchannel sized to accommodate the longitudinal and lateral dimensions ofsaid ship, said platform is adapted to be raised and lowered to receiveships having different drafts; a plurality of cylindrically shaped brushelements having radially outwardly reaching bristles arranged in a firstset of opposed brushes oriented for cleaning the bow and stern of saidship, a second set of brushes oriented for cleaning the keel of saidship and a third set of brushes oriented for cleaning the sides of thehull of said ship; a motor element joined to a source of power andmounted on each brush element for imparting rotational motion thereto;means pivotally interconnecting said first set of opposed brushes tosaid platform for ensuring the placement on and the cleaning of the bowand stern of said ship by the opposed brush elements of said first setof brushes; at least one hydraulic ram mounted on the upwardly facingbase of the elongate U-shaped channel connected to vertically displaceeach brush element of said second set of brushes to the keel of saidship and at least two other hydraulic rams mounted on internallyopposing surfaces in said elongate Ushaped channel, each of the two ramsare sized to inwardly laterally displace and position its interconnectedsaid brush element adjacent a lateral contour of said hull and all thehydraulic rams configured for mechanical cooperation to place theirrespectively interconnected said brush element for cleaning a discretepeRipheral portion of said hull; a sensor element operatively associatedwith each of the sets of brushes to ensure an operative engagement withrespect to said hull as said ship passes through said channel; and ahydraulic power source connected to each said hydraulic ram forpositioning all said brush elements to ensure a continuous contact ofsaid bristles along the lateral contour of said hull, upon passing saidship through said channel, the rotating bristles remove fouling from theentire wetted surface of said hull.
 2. An apparatus according to claim 1further including: a suction element carried in the near proximity ofsaid brush element for drawing off removed said fouling; and means forfiltering out said removed said fouling coupled to each said suctionelement for preventing pollution of said body of water.
 3. An apparatusaccording to claim 1 further including: side-hull fenders and a keelcushion disposed at the mouth of said channel for protecting saidapparatus and said ship and wheel-and-track means carried on theupwardly facing base of the elongate U-shaped channel for positioningsaid second set of brushes in the close proximity of the hull of saidship.
 4. An apparatus according to claim 3 in which at least one of thehydraulic rams is longer than the other hydraulic rams connected tobrush elements in the second set of brushes to allow placing of itsinterconnected brush on the rounded contour of the hull lying betweenthe sides and keel of said ship.